A woman has given birth to octuplets at a Kaiser Permanente hospital in Bellflower, hospital officials confirmed today. [...]

Maples said there were 46 people involved in the deliveries. [...]

The six boys and two girls were born between 10 43 a.m. and 10:48 a.m, the doctors said. The babies each weighed between 1 pound and 15 ounces to 3 pounds and four ounces, the physicians said. [...]

Usually, he said, births of this kind are brought on by fertility medication, not in vitro fertilization. Often, during the medication, several of the mother’s eggs are fertilized. In most cases, Paulson said, the mother chooses to reduce the number of fertile eggs to two, “to make sure the two remaining babies will have the best chance at having good health. “To have all those babies, the mother would choose to have selective reduction.

Apparently the mother made the decision to carry all the eight babies to viability.”

Yipee! Let’s "burn their name onto the surface of the moon" [Patton Oswalt joke]. Let’s give them a free van, their own TV special, and a couple hundred grand of free merchandise. Let’s pretend that it’s good parenting to intentionally have a bunch of one-pound kids with health problems because you so wouldn’t want to just have two fertilized eggs or deal with a kid in foster care that might have health problems. Let’s pretend there are no orphans. Let’s pretend the taxpayers never get stuck with any of these lifelong medical bills. Let’s use medical intervention to release more eggs into the uterus than is physically possible for you, but then balk at reducing the number of eggs to a reasonably healthy number because now it’s suddenly wrong to intervene.

Let’s pretend everything that involves cute widdle babies is unquestionable and precious and perfect and I’m just a killjoy for pointing out these orphans over here* and over here**.

Why don’t we ever give free merch and a TV show to people who foster 8 siblings so they don’t have to be sent to different homes? Or a real role model like Maeietta Jones who fostered around 800 teenagers over the course of 40 years?

Even if these babies didn't need neonatal care, 1 person (since the other spouse would have to go to work) cannot take care of 8 babies by themself all day long. Unless one's very wealthy, that's going to mean the volunteer help of family and friends. It's a very selfish choice that goes on to effect many others outside the direct family.

A million+ each, most likely. Also the woman was in the hospital for 7 weeks prior to the birth which means a high bill for her too.

Insurance, if they have it, will most likely cover the births and after-care, however, if the insurance is through a self-funded plan that doesn't have any stop-loss insurance, the payments could bankrupt a company. If they don't have insurance, my guess is they would qualify for Medicaid.

I don't understand how any doctor could give fertility drugs (not confirmed in this case, but how likely was it that she didn't have fertility drugs?) to anyone who is unwilling to undergo selective reduction in the case of that many embryos implanting. If someone isn't willing to undergo reductions, then the options should be limited to ones that would not cause the possibility of more than 1-3 fetuses in the first place.

I don't understand how any doctor could give fertility drugs (not confirmed in this case, but how likely was it that she didn't have fertility drugs?) to anyone who is unwilling to undergo selective reduction in the case of that many embryos implanting.

What cracks me up (okay, actually, it makes me meshuggah) is when they're all like, "I want fertility treatments," and the doctor's all like, "okay, but you'll have to thin the herd once they're fertilized," and the mom's all like, "okay," but then when the doctor goes, "It's time for your selective reduction," the mom's all like, "You mean abortion, and abortion is MURDER!" and then proceeds to have thirteen unhealthy babies instead of one or two healthy ones. "We'll let GOD decide."

Lady, God already decided. You ignored her and got the fertility treatments anyway.

I don't understand how any doctor could give fertility drugs (not confirmed in this case, but how likely was it that she didn't have fertility drugs?) to anyone who is unwilling to undergo selective reduction in the case of that many embryos implanting.

The issue is what do you do when a woman changes her mind once she's pregnant? If women believe in the right to privacy where their uterus is concerned, no one else should have the right to force someone to reduce the number of embryos. I don't like litters of babies, but I also don't like the idea of forcing someone to do something with their body.

Another issue is health insurance. If a health insurance company doesn't have to cover fertility treatments, should they have to cover the costs of healthcare for the outcome of fertility treatments?

The issue is what do you do when a woman changes her mind once she's pregnant? If women believe in the right to privacy where their uterus is concerned, no one else should have the right to force someone to reduce the number of embryos. I don't like litters of babies, but I also don't like the idea of forcing someone to do something with their body.

And I am fully on-board with that provided the parents fully bear the burden of the litter of babies themselves - meaning no Medicaid, WIC, etc. If I don't have a say in whether or not you have them, then I don't want to pay for them.

These kids were delivered at Kaiser and the whole deal will be paid out of the general insurance fund. Kaiser can deliver the neonatal care at under market because its not-for-profit. Still the cost will be formidable and the risk for developmental delay or learning disability large for these kids.

Usually the fertility treatments are self funded if invitro, but pergonal type therapy would be covered.

I thought fertility doctors only did a few embryos per treatment now to avoid this kind of thing...

without getting too indepth into treatments -

from what I know there are treatments:

* to stimulate egg productions (and you have no idea how many you can get - depends on how many eggs are released & how many get fertilized* where eggs are fertilized outside the womb are transferred to the uterine lining (this is usually limited to 3 or 4 max with the hopes that one or two *take*)* where eggs are fertilized while still within the woman's body (again, this is usually now a limited number)